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Feb. 7, 1956 Filed May 16, 1951 C. C. BROWN FLOW CONTROL APPARATUS 5Sheets-Sheet l C/cero C. Brown INVENTOR.

Feb. 7, 1956 C. C. BRQWN FLOW CONTROL APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledMay 16 1951 C/c er'o C. Brown INVENTOR.

A TTOHNE Vs Feb. 7, 1956 c. c. BROWN 2,733,769

FLOW CONTROL APPARATUS Filed May 16 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 C/c ero C.Brown INVENTOR.

QuJLJ EZAM ATTORNEYS United States Patent FLOW CONTROL APPARATUS CiceroC. Brown, Houston, Tex.

Application May 16, 1951, Serial No. 226,675 Claims. (21. m m

.This invention relates to new and useful improvements in flow controlapparatus.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved flow controldevice which is adapted to be mounted within a flow string or tubing andthe adjustment of which is controlled from the surface by a rotation ofthe string or tubing, whereby a desired flow rate through the string ortubing may be obtained.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improvedadjustable choke device which includes two sections, one of which hasconnection with an anchoring mechanism and is locked against rotationwithin a well casing and the other of which is connected with the flowstring and is rotatable relative to the first section; relative rotationof the sections with respect to each other accomplishing an adjustmentof the choke to effect desired flow rate conditions.

Still anotherobject is to provide an improved anchor ing' means for usewith an adjustable flow control device for efiiciently anchoring onesection of the device against rotation within a well pipe.

Still another object is to provide an adjustable choke device of thecharacter described which includes a tapered or variable diameter chokeelement mounted for longitudinal movement relative to a flow orificewhereby positioning of the choke element with respect to the orificecontrols flow through the device; said choke element being movable by arotation of the flow pipe or string, whereby surface control of theadjustment of the choke element is had.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of the character described,wherein an outer housing having connection with that portion of thetubing string therebelow is anchored against rotation within a well boreand also wherein an inner mandrel having connection with the upperportion of the tubing string is rotatably mounted in the housing; saidapparatus also including an adjustable choke element which isnon-rotatably mounted in the housing and which is operatively connectedwith the mandrel whereby rotation of the mandrel imparts longitudinal oraxial movement to said choke element to effect adjustment thereof.

The construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafterdescribed together with other features thereof.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of thefollowing specification and by reference to the accompanying drawingsforming a part thereof, wherein an example of the invention is shown,and wherein:

Figure l is a schematic view of a flow control device constructed inaccordance with the invention and illustrating the same in one adjustedposition,

\ Figure 2 is a similar view showing another position of the chokeelement,

Figure 3 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of theupper portion of the device,

' Figure 3A. is a continuation of Figure 3 illustrating the lower end ofthe device,

2,733,769 Patented Feb. 7, 1956 Figures 4 to 6 are horizontalcross-sectional views taken on the lines, 4-4, 55, and 6-6,respectively, of Figure 3, I

- Figure 7 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 77 ofFigure 3A, and

Figure 8 is an isometric view of one of the slips of the anchoringassembly which forms part of the device.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 designates an outer tubular housingwhich has a coupling 11 connected to its lower end. The upper end of thecoupling is enlarged as indicated at 12, and the underside of theenlargement is beveled to form an annular seat 13 within the lower endof the housing. The coupling 11 has connection with an anchoringassembly A which will be hereinafter described, and said anchoringassembly has its lower end connected by a collar 14 withrthe lower.portion of the flow tubing or conductor 15. In this manner well fluidsflowing upwardly through the conductor 15 may flow through the anchoringassembly and upwardly past the annular seat 13 within the lower portionof the housing 10.

A choke member C is mounted within the lower portion of the housing andincludes an upper tubular section 16 and a lower tapered pin section orbody 17. Within the annular external shoulder 18 which is formed at theintersection of the tubular section and the pin 17, the choke member isprovided with a plurality of flow openings 19, whereby fluid flowingupwardly past the annular seat and around the exterior of the pin 17 maypass through said openings into the bore 16a of the tubular section 16of the member. The choke member C may undergo longitudinal or axialmovement within the housing 10 but is restricted against any rotativemovement within said housing by elongate keys 20 secured to the wall ofthe housing and longitudinal keyways 21 provided in the exterior of thetubular section 16 of the member C. In this manner the choke member Cmay be moved longitudinally or axially within the housing but is lockedagainst any rotation therein. The lower end of the pin 17 of the chokemember has a straight portion 17a which extends through the bore 13a ofthe annular seat 13, and the extreme lower end of the pin carries a stopcollar 22 which is threaded thereon. The collar has radial guide Wings23 which guide the lower end of the pin in its axial movement and whichfunction to engage the seat 13 to limit upward movement of the chokemember without any restriction of flow.

It will be evident that when the tapered portion 17b of the pin 17 movesdownwardly with respect to the seat 13 the larger diameter portion ofthe pin will enter the bore of the seat and will tend to close theannular space between the pin and the seat. An orifice ring 24 ismounted in the enlargement 12 and it is the space between the bore ofthis ring and the external surface of the pin which controls the volumeof flow therethrough. By varying the size of the orifice ring the sametaper pin may be employed to control over a long range of flowconditions. Since the external taper on the pin coacting with theorifice ring 24 controls the volume of flow upwardly through the housing10, it is apparent that a longitudinal or axial adjustment of the chokemember C within the housing will control the flow. 4

For-imparting longitudinal or axial movement to the choke member aninner tubular mandrel 25 is rotatably mounted Within the upper portionof the housing It), and said mandrel has a reduced shank 26 extendingdownwardly into the bore 16a of the tubular section 16 of the chokemember. External threads 27 which are preferably left hand threads areformed on the exterior of the shank 26 and interengage and coact withinternal threads 28 provided in the upper portions of the tubularsection of the chokemember. Obviously, since the choke memher is keyedto the housing which, as will be explained,

is. anchored against rotation by the anchoring assembly A, -a rotationofthe mandrel will impart longitudinal or axial movement to the chokemember to adjust the tapered portion 17b of said member with respect tothe orifice ring 24.

The mandrel 25 is rotatably mounted on suitable bearings 29 which engagean external race 30 in the mandrel and an internal race 31 formed in asleeve 32. The sleeve is threaded into the upper end ofthe housing 10and in eflect forms a part thereof. A suitable packing ring 33 of theO-ring type seals between the mandrel. and sleeve 32. Additional scalingis obtained by a packing ring 34 confined withinan internal recess 35inthe upper portion ofthe sleeve and retained therein by a retaining.

collar 36. The extreme: upper end of the mandrel. is enlarged to providean internally threaded box 37,, and an additional sealing ring 38. maybe. confined between the upper end of the collar 36 and the shoulder37:: formed by the lower end of the box 37. With this arrangement itwill be evident that the mandrel 25' is rotatable with respect to thehousing 10 and effective sealing between the parts is bad;

The mandrel 25 is formed with an axial bore 38which extends entirelythercthrough and the lower end of' this bore communicates with the lowerportion of the bore 16a of the tubular section of the-choke member C.The upper portion of the flow tubing or conductor 15 is threaded intothe box 37 so as to be directly connected with the mandrel 25. Thistubing extends to the surface of the well and thus, it will be seen thatby rotating the upper portion of the tubing string, a rotation may beimparted to the mandrel 25 to effect an adjustment of the choke member Cwithrespect to the choke orifice ring 24.

The anchoring assembly A is directly coupled to the lower end of thehousing 10 through the coupling 11, and as is clearly shown in Figures3A, 7 and 8, the anchoring assembly includes a main cylindrical body 40having an annular recess 41 at its central portion. A pair of arcuate,substantially semi-circular slip elements 42 aredisposed within theannular recess and have their longitudinal or vertical edges 42a (Figure7) in facing relationship to each other. Each of the surfaces 42a areformed with recesses 43 whereby the ends of coil springs 44 may beengaged therein. Thus, the coil springs 44 constantly urge the grippingslips 42 outwardly toward an expanded position. Complete displacement ofthe slips from the annular recess 41 is prevented by retaining collars45 which are threaded onto the body 40 and which,

overhang upper and lower shoulders 46 formed on the external surface ofeach slip member.

A particular feature of each gripping slip is the fact that its grippingteeth 47 are disposed to extend longitudinally of the slip member and ofthe body 40; the teeth are also directedto prevent rotation of theassembly (Figure 8). manner, it is evident that there will be nogripping action of'said teeth as the assembly A is lowered downwardlywithin a well casing or pipe B even though the coil springs 44 areurging the slips outwardly into contactwith the bore of such well pipe.However, upon a rotation of the body 40 of the anchoring assembly A theteeth will engage the wall of the well pipe and will lock the bodyagainst continuedrotation. Since the anchoring assembly-is connected tothe housing 10 said assembly will prevent rotation of said housing.

In the operation of the apparatus the housing 10 is connected to theanchoring assembly A and said anchoring assembly has connection with thelower portion of the flow string or tubing 15. The mandrel 25 which isrotatably connected to the housing 10 has connection through the box 37with the upper portion of the flow stringer tubing 15. Separation of themandrel from the housing is prevented by the bearings 2? which engagethe complementary raceways or recesses 30 and 31 in the By disposing thegripping teeth 47 in this g mandrel and the sleeve'32 which forms theupper portion of the housing. Thus, the device may be lowered downwardlywithin the well casing or pipe B, as indicated in .Figure l.

During lowering of the apparatus Within the Well pipe B the teeth 47 ofthe anchoring slips 42 will merely ride downwardly on the wall of thepipe, and there will be no gripping action even though the coil springs44 are urging the slips outwardly into contact with the wall. At thistime the choke member C is in the position shown in Figure 1 with themember fully raised with respect to the orifice ring 24. it might benoted that ordinarily the usual type of well packer (not shown) will beconnected below the anchoring assembly and after setting of this packer,upward flow through the tubing string Will occur. As this flow occurs itwill be substantially uncontrolled by the choke member because thestraight section 17a of said choke member is within the orifice ring 24.To accomplish an adjustment of the flow to obtain the desired how it isonly necessary to rotate the upper portion.

of the tubing string 15 ina direction to cause the choke member to movedownwardly with respect to the mandrel. As the mandrel is rotated, thethreads 27 on said mandrel coact with the internal threads 28 ofthechoke member and cause a downward movement of the choke member withrespect to the orifice ring 24. The choke member C and the outer housing10 to which it iskeyed is maintained and held against rotation at thistime by the engagement of the gripping teeth 27 of the mandrel. It istherefore obvious that by rotation, of the upper portion or the flowstring, it is possible to accurately adjust the choke member C to obtainthe desired flow rate. The upper portion of the taperedpin 17 of thechoke member Cis of a diameter to seat on the upper end of the orificering 24 so that if desired, fiow through the device may be completelyshut off. The apparatus thus provides a simple and effective meansoperable.

from the surfacevof the wall for accurately adjusting and controllingthe upward flow through the flow conductor or tubing string 15. V

The threads 27 and 28 are relatively coarse threads and will permitrotation of the upper portion of the tubing or how string 15 in eitherdirection to operate the choke member without danger of breaking out ofany of the usual coupling members in the flow string. Thus, it ispossible to move the choke member either upwardly or downwardly withrespect to the choke orifice ring 24 and by employing an orifice ring ofpredetermined diameter and controlling the taper of the pin 17, accuratecontrol of flow can be maintained. Actually, theapparatus is connectedin the flow string or tubing in a manner to form a part thereof andobviously may be disposed at any point therein. By connecting theapparatus in the lower portion of the flow conductor or tubing, anadjustable bottom hole choke controllable by manipulas tion of theupper-portion of the tubing string, is pro: vided.

Having described the invention, I claim: 7

1. A flow control apparatus including, an outer nonrotatable housing, aninner mandrel rotatable within said housing, choke means movable withinlimits within the housing for controlling the flow therethrough, anoperating connection between the rotatable mandrel and said choke meanswhereby said choke means is controlledby rotation of the mandrel, anannular abutment within the housing through-which the choke means ismovable, and a projection securedto the end of the choke means beyondthe annular abutment for engagement with that side of the abutmentremote froin 'thechoke means for limiting the movement of saidchokemcans in one direction.

2. A flow control apparatus including, an outer nonrotatable housinghaving an annular seat therein, a choke memberinovable longitudinallywithinthe housing with respect to the seat, whereby theposition of saidmember projection on the end of the choke member and engage' able withthat side of the abutment remote from the choke member for limitingmovement of said member in an opposite direction.

3. A flow control apparatus including, an outer nonrotatable housinghaving an annular seat element projecting into the bore of the housingand disposed in the lower portion of the housing, a choke memberincluding a tapered body mounted for longitudinal movement within thehousing and having the tapered body movable within the bore of the seat,whereby the position of said body with respect to said seat controls theflow through the housing, means rotatable within the housing andconnected with said choke member for controlling the longitudinalmovement of said member, the end of the choke member extending throughthe bore of the annular valve seat, and a projection on the end of thechoke member and of suflicient radial extension to engage the under- 1side of the valve seat element to limit movement of the choke memberupwardly relative to the seat.

4. A flow control device including, an outer non-rotatable housinghaving an annular seat therein, a choke member mounted for longitudinalmovement within the housing above said seat, said choke membercomprising an upper tubular portion and an intermediate solid taperedpin portion with said pin portion being adapted to enter the bore of theannular seat upon longitudinal movement of the choke member within thehousing, and a 7 lower pin section of constant diameter extending withinand through said bore when said choke member is in its raised position,said choke member also having an opening establishing communicationbetween the area exteriorly of the member and the bore of the tubularportion of said member, means rotatably disposed in the upper portion ofthe housing for imparting longitudinal movement to the choke member toadjust its pin portion relative to the seat to control flow through thedevice, and a projection on the lower end of the constant diameter pinsection and of suificient radial extension to engage the underside ofthe valve seat to limit upward movement of the choke member relative tothe seat.

5. A flow control device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the projectioncomprises a collar having a diameter greater than the bore of the valveseat and also wherein said collar has passages therein so that flowthrough the valve seat may occur when said collar is in engagement withthe seat. 7

6. A flow control device including, an outer non-rotatable housinghaving an annular seat therein, a choke member mounted for longitudinalmovement within the 6 housing above said seat, said choke membercomprising an upper tubular portion and an intermediate solid taperedpin portion with said pin portion being adapted to enter the bore of theannular seat upon longitudinal movement of the choke member within thehousing, and a lower pin section of constant diameter extending withinand through said bore when said choke member is in its raised position,said choke member also having an opening establishing communicationbetween the area exteriorly of the member and the bore of the tubularportion of said member, a tubular mandrel rotatably mounted in the upperportion of the housing with its upper end projecting from the housingand its lower end disposed within the tubular portion of the chokemember, an

operative connection between the mandrel and choke seat, movement of thechoke member in one direction relative to the seat being limited byintermediate tapered pin portion of the member engaging said seat, and aprojection on the lower end of the constant diameter pin sectionnormally disposed below the valve seatand of sufiicint radial projectionto engage said seat to limit movement of the choke member relative tothe seat in an opposite direction.

7. A flow control device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the operativeconnection comprises interengaging threads on the exterior of themandrel and the interior of the tubular portion of the choke member.

8. A flow control device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the projectioncomprises a collar having a diameter greater than the bore of the valveseat and also wherein said collar has passages therein so that flowthrough the valve seat may occur when said collar is in engagement withthe seat.

9. A flow control apparatus as set forth in claim 6, together withanchoring slips mounted on the housing and adapted to anchor saidhousing against rotation within a well pipe, and means for connecting aflow conductor to the inner mandrel whereby said mandrel may be rotatedby means of said conductor.

10. A flow control apparatus as set forth in claim 6, together withanchoring slips secured to the lower portion of the housing for lockingsaid housing against rotation, said anchoring means comprising a pair ofarcuate gripping slips having gripping teeth extending longitudinally ofthe housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,560,296 Mahafi'ey Nov. 3, 1925 1,856,469 Crowell May 3, 1932 1,870,697Taylor Aug. 9, 1932 2,121,268 Shafier June 21, 1938 2,370,832 Baker Mar.6, 1945 2,531,791 Silvey Nov. 28, 1950

